Greater Victoria's only rideshare company eyes growth
Three rideshare drivers were on the road Friday morning in Greater Victoria, picking up passengers for the region's only operating ride hailing service, Lucky To Go.
"We started our operations in Victoria last year," said Mandeep Rana, owner of Lucky To Go.
The company currently has 10 drivers registered on its app – and as the city begins to open up, demand for the service is growing.
Meeting that demand has been nothing short of challenging.
"A shortage of labour is all across the industry," said Rana.
To begin with, many drivers from all sectors of passenger transportation left the industry during the pandemic. Now, many are driving for SkipTheDishes or DoorDash.
Then there is the issue of licensing. In order to transport passengers you must hold a class four licence. The pandemic shut down road tests for a period of time and now there is a backlog at ICBC.
"It is totally good money on the side," said Heike Fleing, a driver for Lucky To Go.
This mother of three began driving last year for the rideshare company. She holds a full-time job but finds that the flexibility in driving for Lucky To Go works for her.
"On my off hours I do this," said Fleing. "It keeps me busy if my son is at football practice."
"I just want to make sure I have that extra cash for special occasions," she said.
RIDESHARE COMPANIES ON VANCOUVER ISLAND
With tourism reopening, there are renewed calls for large rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to be granted permission to operate on the island.
"We need more options," said Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association.
"The transportation infrastructure isn’t there," said Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association.
In December, the Passenger Transportation Board turned down Uber and Lyft’s access to the island. CTV News reached out to the agency for comment, but it declined.
Seven small rideshare companies have been given the green light to operate in the Greater Victoria region.
"We are the only ones actually operating at the moment," said Rana.
"It’s a huge financial commitment when you open up something like this," he said. "So I don’t know, maybe everyone is treading carefully."
That could be the reason why many of those companies that have been given permission to operate on the island continue to sit on the sidelines, especially with the uncertainty of COVID-19 still lingering.
For Lucky To Go, growth is on the horizon.
"We just got the licence from the airport as of yesterday," said the rideshare company's owner.
Lucky To Go will begin to run a YYJ shuttle to the airport and BC Ferries soon. Discussions are taking place with the city to begin a late-night shuttle service to UVic and the West Shore, and there are hopes that they will also be granted permission to cater to cruise ship passengers at Ogden Point.
"We would like to be the local Uber," said Rana. "We would like to show that a local company from Victoria or B.C. is capable of actually providing the same service that an international giant can provide."
Down the road, Rana has his eyes on the Vancouver market as well. Bur first he needs to grow his business here on the island.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.